


Goodbye Partner

by peggywrites



Category: Lupin III
Genre: Alcohol, Angst, Drinking, Heist, M/M, Multi, Organized Crime, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, more tags to come later as the fic progresses, normal special mayhem & hijinks, on brand lupin violence
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-02
Updated: 2021-01-02
Packaged: 2021-03-08 23:42:11
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 6
Words: 17,385
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27355174
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/peggywrites/pseuds/peggywrites
Summary: Jigen is pulled away from his friends by a former partner. The once loyal gunman returns to his old line of work in an attempt to hide his past mistakes. But how far is he willing to go to hide his past from Lupin and the others?(A reworking of the 2019 special, Goodbye Partner)
Comments: 12
Kudos: 43





	1. A King and his Court

The calm, almost serine silence of London was shattered by the eruption of sirens tearing through the night. Lights from the Tower of London suddenly burst alive as the wail of an alarm shout out from the building.

Windows shattered, and all of a sudden two lean men, one clad in red and the other in black, burst out from window sill. Lupin the Third and his partner, Jigen Daisuke, wore great big smiles on their faces as their feet hit the green grass surrounding the tower.

“LUPIN!!” Came a shout from the surrounding walls.

“Right in queue!” Lupin snickered, throwing a bag over his arms before sprinting down the field. “You never fail to disappoint, Pops!!” He shouted back, cupping a hand next to his mouth in hopes of projecting his voice even half as loud as the officer.

Inspector Zenigata jumped down from the wall, rope cuffs swinging above his head like a cowboy ready to lasso a runaway bull. “You’re not getting a way this time, Lupin!!”

“What? Am I chopped liver?!” The man beside Lupin laughed, a cigarette held limply between his teeth. “I’m the one with the good stuff!” Jigen smiled, lifting a hand to gesture to the crown he had fixated on top of his widely brimmed fedora.

“You’re just jealous because Pops likes me more!” Lupin grinned, giving Jigen's shoulder a playful shove as the two sprinted across the yard.

“Am not!” Jigen shot back, shifting the bag on his own shoulders to sit better. The two rounded the corner of the building, running right towards the surrounding walls of the once prison.

“You’ve got nowhere to run, you two!!” Zenigata shouted. “Give up and come quie-!“

There was a very quick sound; one of a sword being drawn from its ancient sheath. Then three equally as quick slashes. And the wall before them was cut into a square. The bricks fell away, revealing the man standing behind them.

“Goemon! Thank you!!” Lupin’s smile in not grew wider across his face as he rushed past the samurai.

Goemon nodded towards the shocked inspector before turning on his heel and following Lupin and Jigen. On the other side of the now cleanly destroyed wall sat the small yellow fiat. The engine was running, and a woman sat in the front seat with the window down. Fujiko Mine leaned out the window, a sly smile upon her painted lips. Lupin rushed to the passenger side, slamming the door behind him with a triumphant laugh. Goemon hopped onto the roof, reaching his hand down to pull Jigen up.

“Wait!! Stop right there!!” Zenigata dove towards Jigen, but all he managed to do was get a face full of grass as he crashed into the ground. Missing Jigen by mere inches as he was pulled onto the roof by Goemon.

Goemon fell into the back seat taking the bags of loot with him, but the gunman stood in the sunroof, keeping his torso out with his gun at the ready. With screeching tires the fiat sped off, leaving Zenigata to choke on the exhaust.

“Hahaha!!!” Lupin’s voice cut through the wind. “We’re rich!!” His hand dig into one of the bags, picking out a stack of cash. “I can’t believe how many suckers pay to see those stupid jewels!”

“And we’re the ones with the jewels!!” Jigen giggled, leaning his head down enough to give Lupin’s head a shake with his hand.

“Oh, and can I say, Jigen? You look absolutely stunning with that crown.” Lupin turned, raising his brows to give Jigen a teasing look.

“Oh, you may.” Jigen replied. “But I didn’t need you to tell me that.”

“Behind us.” Goemon stated calmly and the two of them turned to see Zenigata’s squad of cars approaching.

“He sure is persistent today.” Fujiko hummed, looking through the rear-view mirror.

“Yeah, but you can outdrive him any day of the week, Fujicaaaakes!” Lupin giggled, leaning forward to try and give the woman a kiss on the cheek.

“Lupin! I’m trying to see the road!” Her manicured hand grabbed Lupin’s face to shove him away, then returned to the wheel to give a sharp turn down the street.

“Remember the opposites sides of the street!” Jigen called, holding onto his hat as the wind roughly blew through it.

“I know how to drive!!” Was all Fujiko shot back before she stopped talking to concentrate.

With each turn, more and more police cars fell behind, either from crashing or simply losing the small fiat down alleyways and quick, intelligent maneuvers. But Zenigata did not stop, he never did. He knew each of their moves like the back of his hand, and he was getting harder and harder to shake with every new heist.

“LUPIN!! Stop that car!!” Came his bellowing voice as the inspector leaned out of his car window.

Lupin leaned out the passenger side window, cupping his hands around his mouth to shout back. “Sorry, Pops! But I’m not driving! It’s outta my hands!!”

The front of Zenigata’s car slammed against the small fiat.

“Hey! I just had her repainted!” Lupin jolted for a moment before turning around. “Jigen, dear? Would you mind?”

Jigen smiled in response. The gunman pulled himself up out of the sunroof. Turning himself around so he was facing Zenigata’s car, Jigen took out the magnum and pointed it forward. He’d hate to say it, but the look of worry on the inspector’s face only made his smile grow. With on pull of the trigger, a shot rang echoed through the streets and the front left tire of Zenigata’s car popped.

The inspector yelped as his car veered off the rode into a nearby lamp post. Before the fiat rounded the corner, Jigen was able to see Zenigata stumble out of the car, throwing his hat on the ground and he screamed a flurry of curses after them.

Lupin pulled himself into the sunroof, leaning against Jigen as he yelled after Zenigata.

“CATCH YA LATER, POPS!!”

-

The door to the safe house, a nice two room apartment in the middle of London city, burst open with a kick. Lupin sauntered inside, dawning one of the Crown Jewel staffs in his hand and his walked in, looking like a conductor of a marching band. Jigen and Goemon followed, carrying the rest of the loot sacks in their hand with Fujiko following them with bags filled with take-out dinner and expensive booze.

“I’m king of the castle! I’m king of the castle!!” Lupin leaped onto the couch, waving the treasured staff this way and that.

“Lupin, your shoes.” Goemon scolded, but simply placed the bags on the coffee table with the others.

“If you’re king, how come I’ve got the crown?” Jigen pointed out with a smirk.

“Because sometimes the court jester needs to feel special.” Lupin snickered.

_“Court jester?!!”_

“Yes!” Lupin pulled his legs up so that he fell on the couch, the cushions creaking underneath the sudden weight. “I’m the king, Fujiko is the queen,” he blew her a small kiss, wiggling his eyebrows. “Goemon is the knight in shining armor, and you’re the court jester.”

“Good luck ever getting this off my head then.” Jigen pushed Lupin’s face with his hand before digging into the loot sacks. He pulled out the Sovereign’s Orb, another one of the gold adorned staffs, and finally, the swords. Each had a name, but he couldn’t think of them at the moment. “Want to try one of these out, sir knight?”

“No. Zantetsuken is the only blade I need.” Goemon answered plainly. “Besides, I think they may be too fragile to use, but I would like to admire them.”

Jigen carefully handed them over, and Goemon looked at their blades with a skillful eye. Jigen then dumped the stacks of money they had grabbed from the museum’s registers and back rooms. Lupin was right, there was enough money here to last them months. It was amazing how many tourists paid to get a glimpse of expensive jewelry.

“Let’s celebrate!” Lupin threw his hands in the air with excitement. “It’s a good night! Let’s eat and drink and listen to music!”

And that they did.

They had picked up take out fish and chips from a nearby pub, along with as much alcohol as Fujiko was willing to carry in the bag given to her. Jigen sat next to Lupin as they ate, reaching over to steal fries from his friend’s plate and earning himself several slaps on the hand whenever he was caught. Drinks were poured, first beer, then whisky. Goemon hardly drank what they bought, instead opting for the sake Lupin kept in the apartment.

Lupin set up his record player, dusting off some jazz records before carefully placing them inside. They were sure to get a noise complaint from one of their neighbors with how loud the thief let them play, but it was Friday, it’s not like anyone had anywhere important to be in the morning. The music swelled, some Dean Martin song, and Lupin swayed over to Fujiko, reaching out a hand and pulling her up to dance with him.

Jigen watched them from under the brim of his hat, though he did tap his foot along. He watched Lupin’s hands wonder and Fujiko put them back into their proper places. The thief was already drunk enough to where he was slightly tripping over his feet, but Fujiko, for once, didn’t seem to mind too much. The woman leaned in, pressing her cheek to Lupin’s. Jigen could guess she was whispering things to him by the way Lupin’s face went beat red and how he giggled that deep, throaty giggle of his.

But Jigen rolled his eyes and poured himself another glass, downing it in one swig before refilling it. He was having a goodnight, the crown still atop his head proved that, he wasn’t going to let his watchful eyes convince him otherwise.

After a few romantic songs, one he knew quite well kicked on. Immediately, Lupin left Fujiko’s side and yanked him upwards, making his head swim for a brief moment at the sudden change.

“ _Jigen-chaaaan! New York, New Yooooork!!_ ” Lupin giggled, pressing his hands to either side of Jigen’s face.

“I know the song!”

“Then why aren’t you singiiing?”

“Your hands are squishing my face!” Jigen laughed, pulling Lupin’s hands away, but not letting go as the thief led them in a pathetic excuse for a dance. The two of them were just holding onto each other, spinning in a circle as they shout-sung along to the lyrics of Sinatra’s popular song. It held a nice place for the two thieves. For one, it was the place they met, but it was also the place where Jigen grew up and learned his trade. A bad trade, mind you, but still, they couldn’t fight the nostalgia the song brought them.

The song came to a big, musical number-like close and Lupin had to stumble back over to the record player to flip to the next side. He let the music play a little softer and leaped over the couch again to sit down. Jigen moved a lot slower, but he made his way over and sunk to the floor, letting his head fall against the couch seat.

“Well, I don’t know about you all.” Fujiko’s hand lifted to her mouth as she gave a yawn. “But I’m tired.” She gently pressed her finger to Lupin’s nose, making the man’s face go slack with a lovey-dovey look. “ _Lu-pin_ ,” She sing-songed. “You don’t mind if I sleep in your bed tonight, do you?”

“Oh, no. Not at all, Fujicaaakes. As long as I can join you.” The thief giggled, and Goemon rolled his eyes.

“Don’t come to bed early on my account. You boys keep having fun.” Fujiko smiled. It was a genuine one, surprisingly, and she made her way to get up before Lupin stuck his hands out to stop her.

“Wait, wait! A toast!” Lupin leaned over the coffee table, grabbing one of the wine bottles before leaning over to refill all of their classes. “To a successful heist! To the stupid, dumb look on Pops’ face! To the beautiful jewels that we rescued today. And to Jigen!” The thief threw his arm around Jigen’s neck, bringing the man close to him so that their cheeks were touching. “The greatest shot in the whole world! Without him, Pops would definitely be smiling with us in cuffs.”

“As the humble man that I am,” Jigen joked. “I will gladly toast to myself.” The gunman lifted up his glass, though with a bit of struggle with Lupin leaning over him.

Goemon and Fujiko did the same.

“May your aim remain true.” Goemon stated with a kind smile.

“I guess if you’re going to be good at one thing, it should be that.” Fujiko added.

“Careful, Fujiko. Kinda sounds like you’re complimenting me.” Jigen snickered, pointing a finger at the woman. She quickly swatted his hand away, though only scrunching her nose up teasingly in response.

“Oh, you wish.”

“CHEERS!” Lupin shouted, making Jigen wince at how close the sound was. The thief downed his wine in one go, throwing his head back as he did. Jigen followed suit, but Goemon and Fujiko sipped their wine instead.

Lupin untangled himself from Jigen’s side, only to grab the wine bottle again. He refilled both his and Jigen’s glasses as Fujiko used Goemon’s shoulder to stand. She and the samurai expressed soft a ‘goodnight’ to each other, and the woman made her way towards Lupin’s room, carefully shutting the door behind him.

Both Jigen and Lupin’s glasses had been refilled once more by the time the door closed.

“Hey! Let’s watch a movie!” Lupin suggested, throwing his index finger in the air. Jigen was going to point out how they were still listening to music, but it seemed the record had stopped minutes ago.

Jigen lifted his head. “How about a-“  
  
“No cowboy movies!”

“What? Why not?!”

“Because they’re all so saaaaad!!” Lupin whined, picking himself off the floor. He walked past Goemon, squatting down next to the samurai to pour over a box filled with DVD cases.

“Pale Rider ain’t sad.” Jigen protested. “The guy saves a whole town from thugs!”

“Incorrect.” Goemon spoke up. “The thugs shoot a young girl’s dog.”

“Exactly!” Lupin added before pulling out a DVD case. “It’s movie musicals or bust, man.”

“You guys just wanna friggin’ suck the joy outta everything.” Jigen grumbled, but lifted himself up to the couch. If they were gonna watch a movie, he’d rather be comfortable for it.

“Boo hoo, sorry we won’t get to see Billy Rocks die for the fiftieth time.” Lupin pushed Jigen over so that he could sit on the couch as well, but the two simply fell into a tangle of limbs that could only be comfortable to them. Lupin let his cheek rest on Jigen’s chest as the movie began and Goemon’s head tilted down ever so slightly, an indication that the samurai was falling asleep.

If you asked him tomorrow, Jigen wouldn’t be able to tell you what movie they were watching, other than the fact it had Gene Kelly in it. With the alcohol in his system and Lupin’s comforting weight on his chest, Jigen was out like a light before the opening credits even finished.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's not often I make a multi chapter fic, and even less often that I actually PLAN OUT said fic. Yet here I am with a word document with 12 chapters & plot points all worked out. I was honestly just sitting in class, wishing that the Goodbye Partner special had been less terrible and had less straight Jigen in it. Then I remember 'oh hey, why don't I write that??' and here we are!
> 
> Actual plot things start happening next chapter! So be on the look out


	2. The Call

When Jigen opened his eyes, Lupin’s body is still laying over his. The thief’s arms were in a misshapen jumble, one draped over his head while the other was stretched out behind him in a position that couldn’t be too comfortable. The gunman looked over towards the television set. The dvd menu screen was playing on a quiet loop, and Goemon sat crossed legged with his chin tilted down.

Jigen took a deep breath, causing Lupin to rise and fall with the expanding of his chest. He blinked a few times, trying to get the blur from his eyes to go away. When he looked towards the clock on one of their shelves, he saw it was already noon.

He groaned, grabbing Lupin’s shoulders with his hands. “Lupin.” He whispered, a night’s worth of drinking and smoking making his voice gruff. The thief just groaned, pressing his face closer to Jigen’s chest. “Lupin,” he repeated, a bit louder. “C’mon, get up.”

“ _Cinq minutes de plus, maman._ ” Lupin grumbled.

“You don’t have to wake up, you just gotta get offa’ me. I gotta use the can.” Jigen pushed his friend up. Thankfully, Lupin got the idea and rolled over towards the back of the couch. Jigen was able to slip out from under the other and land a bit awkwardly on the floor.

He stood up straight, linking his hands together and lifting them over his head. Joints popped painfully back into place and well, that’s what he gets for sleeping in such an odd way. Jigen reached up, adjusting his hat to realize that King Edwards crown was still upon his head. He shrugged, grabbing a crumpled-up cigarette from the ash tray before making his way through the apartment to the bathroom.

After a few minutes, Jigen returned to the living room, giving it a sweep with his eyes. Lupin had replaced Jigen with one of the couch pillows, curling his legs close to his chest. Goemon remained unmoved and unbothered by any noise in the apartment or outside. Jigen slipped his hands in his pockets, grabbing his lighter. He struck the wheel three times before getting a flame. Smoke drifted through the air after Jigen took a long deep breath and let it out slowly. It was then his eyes drifted to the coffee table taking note of what was there.

Or more specifically, what _wasn’t_ there.

He blinked, squeezing his eyes shut before opening them again. He needed to make sure he was seeing things right. Unfortunately, like always, Jigen’s sight didn’t lie. One of the money bags was missing. So was the orb and one of the swords.

She didn’t.

Jigen ran to Lupin’s bedroom, throwing the door open and stumbling inside. Lupin’s bed had been slept in, but the covers and pillows had been put back into place. There was a small card on Lupin’s side of the bed, and Jigen marched forward to grab it. Cursive handwriting covered it, and Jigen cringed at the sight of a lipstick kiss pressed to the corner.

_Jigen,_

_Since I know you’re the one who will find this, I’ve taken my share (and some of Lupin’s) and headed home. Give Lupin my love. If the kiss on the card isn’t enough, maybe he’ll settle for one from you._

_Fujiko_

And she signed it with a heart.

Jigen growled. He had half a mind to tear the stupid thing apart. Instead, he crushed it in his hands and threw it back onto Lupin’s bed.

“Damn it!” Jigen shouted, slamming the door back open and marching into the living room. Goemon’s head shot up in surprise, but the samurai didn’t need to worry about being the target of Jigen’s anger. “Wake up, asshole!” He stomped over to Lupin, leaning over and yelling into his ear.

_“Aaaaaarrggg!!”_ Lupin groaned, lifting the pillow he was hugging over his head and pressing it to his ears. “Stooop, I’ve got a headache.”

“Oh, I’ll give you something to have a headache about!” Jigen grabbed the pillow, wrestling it from the thief’s hands to hit him over the head with. Lupin cried out, lifting his hands to cover his face. “Fujiko robbed us! Again!”

“What? What?” Lupin hissed, peaking an eye out from behind his hands. He turned towards the coffee table, pointing a finger towards it. “The money’s right there!”

“Not all of it!” Jigen shouted, hitting Lupin one more time before throwing the pillow at him. “She practically took half!”

“So what?” Lupin sat up, yawning and giving a causal stretch. “She just took mine, right? You and Goemon still have your share.”

“You idiot! We combine our money!” Jigen growled reaching up to smack his hands down on his hat, but all he managed to do was unfortunately press his hands into the sharp material of the crown. He yelped, scrambled to get the thing off before he threw it on the couch next to Lupin.

“Jigen,” Goemon’s calm voice cut through the arguing. “We will have plenty of money to keep us fed and situated for quite some time.”

“Oh, _you’re_ defending her now, too?!” Jigen stomped over in front of the samurai, who was still sitting in the same position. “Don’t tell me you’re falling for her stupid tricks again!”

“Do not twist my words. I am trying to calm the situation.” The dark-haired man looked up, his narrowed eyes piercing into Jigen’s. “We still have most of the Crowned Jewels and a full bag of money. We will be secure.”

There was a pause where none of them spoke, but Lupin broke the silence as he reached over for the crown, plopping it on his head with a hum.

“Like he said, Jigen dear. No need to worry over spilled milk.” Lupin pushed the crown to cover his eyes, looking a bit like a child playing a game of dress up. He leaned back, placing his hands behind his head and crossing his long legs over the coffee table. “We had a good time last night! Let’s try to hold onto that, huh?” He tilted his head up enough to reveal one eye, giving Jigen a sly look.

The gunman only took another long drag from his cigarette, walking over to the threshold that lead to the kitchen.

“Fine, fine. But I don’t wanna hear complainin’ when the money runs out too soon. You need to stop letting that woman into our home.” He stated gruffly. Jigen took a small pause, leaning over the countertop as he gently tapped his knuckles against it. “I know it’s noon, but do you want breakfast food?”

“Why not go out to eat?” Came Goemon’s voice from the other room.

“Eeeehh, I dunno.” Replied Lupin’s. “We made Pops pretty mad last night, he’s probably looking for us. Best to stay inside, at least while it’s light out.” He suggested, and the samurai agreed with a soft hum. “Breakfast food for me, Jigen!” He called. “And maybe some rice and grits for Goe!”

So Jigen got to work. He lit a new cigarette first, letting it hang from the side of his mouth as he pulled out eggs and bacon from the fridge and grits and rice from the pantry. He plugged in the rice maker, a device Goemon didn’t entirely approve of, but it made cooking the stuff a lot easier. Jigen turned on the stove top and sprayed down the pans before placing them down. He then put a good amount of rice into the machine; he wanted to make sure Goemon had some now, and maybe a bit later if he was still hungry.

“Hey, you’re not gonna poison it, are you?!” Lupin yelled from the living room.

“Huh?!” Jigen matched his friend’s volume, leaning his head into the living room.

“If you’re mad at me, I wanna make sure you’re not gonna poison my food!”

“I’m not gonna poison your food!”

“So what, you’re still mad?!”

“Lupin, if you don’t shut up, I’m gonna spit in your scrambled eggs!” Thankfully, all the thief did was cross his arms and huff back onto the couch. Jigen moved back inside the kitchen. He placed the bacon strips on the pan, cursing a bit as he realized he forgot the pot for grits.

After ten minutes or so, Jigen returned to the living room with a tray full of plates and bowls. Goemon and Lupin cleared the table, though they mostly just pushed the empty bottles and left-over treasure onto the floor. Jigen set the tray on the table, pushing Lupin aside so he could sit down. The three ate in relative silence, though Lupin eventually turned on the television and flicked through a few news stations.

“Oh! Look, look! That’s us!” He pointed over Goemon’s shoulder. Sure enough, the station was showing what looked like a repeat of the morning news. Footage from their escape from the Tower or London played on the screen, Lupin’s infectious smile was clearly showcased as he and Jigen jumped into the fiat. The thief seated next to him let out a great big laugh as they watched Zenigata fall flat on his face as the car sped away.

“Aw man, I want that picture framed on my wall.” Lupin giggled, tilting his plate up to scrape the rest of his scrambled eggs into his mouth. “Welp!” He set the plate down on the tray, clapping his hands together to draw attention back to himself. “I’m gonna take a shower!” He took the crown off, placing it on the side of the coffee table before setting his hands down, using Jigen’s knee to push himself into a standing position.

“Don’t use up all the hot water.” Jigen called after him. “I wanna take one too!” Lupin waved his hand in the air to show he heard him before closing his bedroom door.

Jigen downed the rest of his water before gathering up the utensils and plates back onto the tray. Goemon stood up, giving him a brief nod before turning and heading towards the room they shared. With nothing else to do, the gunman rolled up his sleeves and washed, scrubbed, and dried each plate and bowl. While they weren’t usually the clean group, unless Goemon made them, Jigen would rather get something like this done instead of waiting until the sink was full of dishes. And since, currently, the sink was gathering up a bit of a pile, he decided to clean those as well.

After he had set each dish on the drying rack, Jigen moved back into the living room and plopped himself down on the couch. He closed his eyes, opting to pass the time with a nap instead of aimlessly walking around the apartment, listening to the white noise of Lupin’s shower.

“Jigen.” Goemon’s voice made him tilt his hat back in order to see. The samurai had changed into a fresh pair of clothes and brushed through his hair. Jigen guessed he must’ve gone through his morning routine. Goemon was always like that. He liked to keep things constant, even if the day had been thrown off a bit.

Jigen hummed to show he was listening.

“I was wondering if you would like to join me for midday meditation?” The samurai asked with a kind glance.

Jigen considered for a moment. “I don’t gotta balance on anything, do I?”

Goemon allowed himself a small smile, letting out a breath that could be considered a laugh. “No. You are more than welcome to sit by my side, though.”

“Yeah sure, why the Hell not?” Jigen grunted as he pushed himself up off the couch. “I don’t got anything else to do.” He stood up and followed Goemon to their room. The curtains had been drawn to darken the area and it looked like the samurai had already lit incense candles, as well as had some soft music playing from a small radio.

_Very Zen_ , Jigen thought with a hum.

Goemon took a seat in front of his twin sized bed, so Jigen did the same in front of his, trying to match Goemon’s sitting position. Though, the samurai was younger than he was, so their posture didn’t look exactly alike. Jigen ended up slouching over.

“Thank you for accepting my offer.” Goemon said with a small smile. “After this morning’s incident, I figured you would appreciate this.”

Jigen hummed in response. “Yeah, well, you know how she makes me feel.”

“Indeed.” Goemon nodded, his voice growing softer. “That’s why I believe meditation is the best course of action. Take a deep breath,” He instructed, doing so as well. “And clear your mind of what is troubling you.”

Jigen followed at least the physical part of those instructions, but the gunman wasn’t very big on the whole ‘inner peace’ thing that Goemon worked so hard to achieve. And he didn’t think the universe wanted him to have it either.

But he tried. He genuinely tried. Jigen closed his eyes, working to match Goemon’s breathing pace. As a hitman, he was used to picking a position and staying still for hours, so that was no difficultly. Jigen could be as silent as a mouse when he chose to be. It was keeping his mind quiet that was the issue. He tried to let what happened this morning go. Fujiko betrayed them all the time, it would be surprising if she didn’t, he should expect it by now. But that didn’t stop it from making him feel like a complete idiot. He let himself believe that once, just once, Fujiko wouldn’t pull what she always did. That she would take her share with dignity and leave them with what they earned, but of course she betrayed them. It’s what she did.

And that’s what Jigen got for letting her have even a smidgen of his trust. A small portion which she certainly didn’t deserve. He should know better by now, after years and years of people taking his trust and breaking it in front of him. He should know better than to lend it so loosely. He had lost so many of his walls from living with Lupin; he genuinely missed the immense number of protective barriers he once built brick by brick around himself.

Jigen gripped tightly to the material of his pants. His mind suddenly shifting towards his past; the betrayals, the hurt, the lies, the killing, the cries, the screams, the –

Jigen stood up suddenly. Goemon opened one eye to watch him, a bit concerned.

“Ah, sorry.” Jigen sighed, rubbing the back of his neck with his hand. “I didn’t mean to freak out on you like that.”

“It is quite alright.” His friend reassured. “Would you like to try again?”

“No,” Jigen shook his head. “I don’t hear the water running anymore, so I think I’m just gonna take a shower.” He gestured outside to the hallway, giving a small _‘thank you for trying anyway’_ kind of smile. Jigen grabbed a new set of clothes and quickly left the room. He shut the door to the bathroom behind him and gave a long sigh. Let it be known that Jigen should never be left alone to his thoughts like that. But he couldn’t fault the samurai for trying.

The shower definitely helped to wash away some of his thoughts; the white noise and pelting of the warm water as he washed his hair helped to calm whatever nerves had risen. He wrapped his head and waist in a towel after stepping out of the shower, taking a moment to trim his beard as well. He pulled his fresh pair clothes on, tossing what needed to be washed in the hamper by the door.

When he walked out, he was surprised by how dark it was getting already. He must’ve spent more time in the shower than he realized. Jigen walked back into the living room where Lupin was watching intently to a soccer game on the tv. He gave Jigen a hello before scooting over on instinct to make room for him to sat down.

“Goemon’s makin’ dinner?” Jigen asked, peaking over his friend’s head into the kitchen.

“Yeah.” Lupin nodded. “Some Japanese dish, I didn’t catch it. OH! COME ON!” The thief suddenly shot up, throwing his hands in the air in reaction to some kind of penalty being called in the game.

Jigen leaned back on the couch, letting himself close his eyes to the noise around him. This was his version of meditating, which was more specifically, _napping_. He allowed himself to relax as Lupin talked, complaining about a play or move, and he slowly drifted in and out of sleep to the sound of Goemon’s cooking from the kitchen. He was woken up by Lupin shaking his knee, and they sat up to eat piping hot miso soup.

It was completely dark after they finished eating, so Jigen grabbed a new cigarette and stood up.

“Hey, I’m gonna go stretch.” He patted Lupin on the shoulder, to which the thief only gave an acknowledging nod. Jigen threw his jacket over his shoulder and walked down the stairs of the apartment building. The day had passed so quickly, but he’d give credit to waking up so late in the day. He pushed the door open, immediately lighting his cigarette and turning to walk down the sidewalk.

It was pretty calm for a weekend night, but Lupin had planned that would their apartment neighborhood. It wasn’t too close to any bars or night life spaces, though it was within walking distance. So there weren’t a lot of people walking the sidewalks. Jigen pulled on his jacket, trying to protect himself from the London chill as he blew out smoke from his nose. It was a calm night. Almost serine.

All of that was shattered when, quite suddenly, the phone booth next to where Jigen was walking began to ring.

The gunman froze. He turned to the red box, watching the phone slightly vibrate as it rang.

He knew he shouldn’t answer it. It was probably a prank from Lupin, for one, but it could also be something sinister. He should keep walking. He should just ignore it.

But weary curiosity took the better of him.

Jigen opened the door to the phone booth, carefully shutting it behind him. After another deep breath, he took the still ringing phone off the receiver and placed it to his ear.

“Hello?” He said after a moment’s pause.

“Hello, Jigen.” Came the soft voice from the other end of the line.

Jigen sucked in a sharp breath of recognition.

“So glad to hear your voice again.” The man’s deep, calm voice continued on. “It’s been a while, hasn’t it?”

The gunman took a moment to remember to breathe, then he spoke. “Sal?”

“The one and only.”

Jigen swallowed. “Yeah. The Hell, it has been a while.”

“You had quite the exciting day yesterday, didn’t you?”

“The Hell is this about?” Jigen threw one hand over the dial box, his eyes darting around. He didn’t have time for pleasantries, certainly not with voices from his past.

The man on the line hummed. “I think it’s about time you and I caught up, don’t you think? It’s been so long.”

“Yeah well, what do ya wanna know?” Jigen asked. “I’m sure we can say it over the phone, right?”

“Oh no, no, I need to see you in person.” And that’s exactly what Jigen was afraid of. “I can’t fly to London, not when I have a business to run. I’m afraid you’ll have to come home.”

“What makes you think I’ll do anything you say?” He challenged, biting down on his cigarette as he grit his teeth.

“Well, you don’t exactly have a choice. Plus, I know you too well.” The statement was said darkly, and Jigen could practically imagine the man leaning back casually in his chair. “You’ll come.” There was a pause. “That’s a lovely shirt by the way, is it new?”

“You got a gun on me?” Jigen growled, pressing his forehead to the glass in an attempt to see into any of the neighboring buildings.

“Yes. And a camera.” The man cleared his throat. “I have a plane ticket waiting for you at the airport. I’ve given you until tomorrow evening to catch the flight home. You will be on it, yes?”

Jigen took a deep breath. For a moment of silence, he briefly considered his options. He nodded before speaking. “Yeah, yeah. I’ll be on it. I’ll see you soon, Sal.”

“Can’t wait.” And the line went dead.

Jigen stayed in the booth for another ten minutes, thoughts racing through his mind at a hundred miles per hour. This was just like him, wasn’t it? He was pulling a Lupin. Letting something – _someone_ from his past bubble back up to drag him back. Any sane person would refuse or seek solace in his friends. Jigen was not a sane person. His past was his business. And he would fix it on his own, even if it was dangerous and far away from the protection of his new family.

Jigen knew he shouldn’t allow this man to pull him back, yet he had agreed.

He walked back to the apartment on autopilot, the haze continuing until he reached the door. Jigen unlocked it and walked in, going to the living room to see Lupin and Goemon sitting around the coffee table again.

“Hey, uh … Lupin?” Jigen spoke up, standing at the front of the room. Lupin hummed and tilted his head up in acknowledgement. “I’m uh … I’m actually gonna be out for a bit. Just thought I’d let ya know.”

“Oh, sure thing, Jigen!” Lupin turned with a smile, and the gunman’s resolve almost broke right then and there. “Just be careful in case Pops is still out there.”

“Sure, sure.” Jigen nodded, looking to Goemon for a moment. The samurai was looking at him, quite perplexed. But if he noticed anything wrong about Jigen, he did not say

Jigen wished he would say something.

“Alright. I’ll uh, I’ll see you guys later then.” Jigen pulled his hat further over his eyes walking back towards the front door.

He heard Lupin give one last goodbye before he shut the door behind him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Dun dun duuun!! These soft domestic moments have turned sour! So glad you all liked the first chapter! Hold on tight, 'cause now we're getting into it!


	3. Searching

Lupin was snoring. After another night of watching movie after movie, the gentleman thief had returned to his room and crashed on his bed. While sleeping on the couch with Jigen had been comfortable the night before, he really didn’t want to wake up again with aches and pains. Lupin nuzzled his face into his pillow as the morning sun peaked through his window. If he could get just ten more minutes of sleep, he would be happy.

But the beam of sunlight was suddenly blocked out. Curiously, Lupin opened one eye to see what could’ve done that.

And he was met with Goemon leaning over his bed to stare at him.

“AAAH!” Lupin startled backwards, pulling his pillow protectively over his body. “Goemon! Jeez, man! Don’t do that! Were you watching me sleep?!” He exaggerated a shiver, shaking his head back and forth. “That’s so weird!”

“I was merely coming in to wake you.” Goemon said plainly, looking towards the door with his usual slight embarrassed nature.

“Well, I’m up now.” Lupin tossed away his pillow, making peace with the fact that he was up for the rest of the day. “What time is it anyway?”

“It is nine-thirty.” The samurai turned his gaze back to Lupin, and the thief couldn’t help but note the worry in his eyes. “And Jigen has not returned yet.”

Oh.

That’s why he looked worried.

“What?” Lupin scooched himself forward until he could slide off the bed and stand. He looked up, giving Goemon a slightly concerned look. “What do you mean?”

“Last night, Jigen told us he was going out.” Goemon explained in his usual calm tone, one he used when explaining basic facts. “He has yet to return.”

“Oh,” Lupin paused for a moment, then he shrugged. The thief walked over to his dresser and pulled on a pair of pants and a dress shirt. “He was pretty mad at me yesterday, about the whole Fujiko thing. He could’ve gone out and spent the night at a guy’s house?” He suggested, pulling his arms through the sleeves.

“I do not know. He’s usually back by now when he does that.” The two of them were rather used to Jigen’s escapades by now. When Lupin did something stupid, Jigen would go out and find comfort elsewhere, as sad as that sounded. “Besides.” Goemon continued. “When he left last night, he seemed … troubled.”

“Ah, so he’s probably passed out next to a bar somewhere.” Lupin sighed. “That’s just like him, huh? I tell him to be careful, and he’s probably in the backseat of Pops’ car right now.”

“Do you think he’s been arrested!?” Goemon was suddenly nose to nose to Lupin, making the thief stagger back. Jeez, that guy was fast. “Then we should find him!”

“Relax, relax!” Lupin reassured, waving his hands downward. “Even when he’s drunk, Jigen is hard for Pops to catch. Which is quite a feat, if I’m being honest. We’ll still go out and look for him, but I wanna at least eat first.” He squeezed himself away from the samurai, grabbing his tie and his jacket. “Wherever Jigen is, I’m sure he can wait another fifteen minutes.”

Goemon simply hummed. “Very well, let us eat quickly then.” He pushed past Lupin and headed into the kitchen. “I do not like the idea of him being on his own, especially not with how he looked last night.”

Lupin followed, slipping his jacket on over his shoulders. He puffed the collar so it sat better before smoothing out his lapels. “You really noticed something last night that got you worried, huh?”

“Yes.” Came the samurai’s curt answer.

“Mmhh. Worst comes to worst, I’m sure he just left last night to mope and drink.” Lupin gave his friend a soft pat on the shoulder. “Don’t worry too much, it’s a small city.” It wasn’t, but it would be for them. “We’ll find him in no time.”

“I certainly hope so. I do not like it whenever he goes off on his own.”

“You worry too much.” Lupin giggled. “Hey, he probably did come back last night! He might’ve just woken up early and gone out to get groceries or something.”

While he thought it might’ve been a good suggestion, Goemon shook his head. “No. His bed is undisturbed, and I would’ve heard him come in.” The samurai turned, only to look at Lupin’s pouting expression. He sighed, giving a small smile. “But thank you for the reassurance. You’re probably right. We will find him. Thank you for agreeing to search with me.”

“Aaaww, no problem, Goemon.” Lupin smiled, throwing a hand over his friend’s shoulder to give him a small squeeze. “Trust me, this isn’t a big deal. We’ll find him and laugh about this over lunch.”

The samurai nodded before returning to his work. Goemon made a quick breakfast, and ate it even faster. Lupin took his time, trying to not let the bouncing of Goemon’s knee irritate him too much. It wasn’t like his friend to be this distracted, or worried. Now Lupin wished he had gotten a good look at Jigen’s face before he left, maybe then he would’ve been able to understand Goemon’s worry.

Quickly, the gentleman thief went through the day in his mind. Jigen had seemed in a pretty decent mood after his usual outburst because of Fujiko. But it had been no more than the usual anger, he hadn’t even threatened to leave the group like he had many times before Lupin trusted Fujiko over him. Afterwards, he seemed fine. There had been a part in the day where Lupin had gone to shower. The thief had found Fujiko’s crumpled up letter, no doubt mangled by Jigen. Had her words put him in a bad mood? What were Jigen and Goemon doing while he was in the shower?

He hummed over his breakfast, trying to figure out a reason Jigen could’ve been gone for the night. From the years he’s known Jigen, there were few things that could really upset him; Lupin trusting women, running out of cigarettes, running into an issue from his past, or losing out on a score. But most of the time, Jigen would never fail to make sure Lupin knew why he was upset, and normally, Lupin was the reason. 

Lupin forked down the rest of his grits, figuring that he would just _ask Jigen_ what was wrong when they eventually found him.

“Alright!” The thief stood up, stretching his arms over his head. “Let’s go find ourselves a cowboy.”

Goemon was up quickly, but he had to wait as Lupin grabbed a disguise from one of the drawers.

“Now remember,” Lupin said, turning to Goemon as he pulled the latex mask over his face. “Pops is probably still looking for us, so we need to be careful. I’ve got my disguise, but since you don’t like these, you need to stick to either roofs or backways.”

“I understand.” The samurai nodded as Lupin threw on an oversized coat, making his lean frame look wider. He followed the thief out the door and waited, somewhat patiently, for him to lock the door behind them. They headed down the stairwell and out the door at the bottom.

“We should split up to cover more ground.” Goemon suggested, and was gone in a flash once Lupin nodded in agreement.

The thief sighed. He didn’t like it whenever Goemon got this paranoid. He was sure Jigen was fine, as the man’s partner in crime, he should be able to tell when something was really wrong.

At least, he sure hopes he was.

Lupin shook his head, shoving his hands into his coat pockets before making his way down the London sidewalk. Now _he_ was starting to overthink things, and his brain still needed a break from that heist. And breaking in and OUT of the Tower of London was not an easy feat. He had months of planning before they were able to pull it off. He was going to give Jigen a piece of his mind when they found him before the gunman would be able to rant about whatever made him sad this time. He wanted a break. How terribly rude of Jigen to ruin a perfectly good lazy day like today.

Lupin’s shoes click-clacked upon the pavement as he walked down the sidewalk, peaking into cafés that were serving coffee and breakfast, just in case Jigen had sat himself inside and ordered the blackest coffee known to man. Of course, no one could make disgusting, thick coffee like he did. But he couldn’t see his friend in any corner shops or venues, so the next best thing was to check all the pubs in the area.

He stepped inside the ones that were open early, or had been open still since last night. Lupin asked if they had seen his friend, even giving a pretty good description, but when the bartenders called whoever had the night shift the previous evening, each answer came up short. It was either a ‘no’ a 'don't remember' or a ‘I’m not sure, lots of people were here last night’.

He thanked them anyway, then checked the alleys around each bar, just in case Jigen was passed out in one of them. But again. No sign. Now that was certainly odd. After a while, Lupin took a break to quickly smoke a cigarette. Where could Jigen be? If he hadn’t gone to a bar, where could he have gone? The thief thought for a moment, then snapped his fingers. Jigen wasn’t really the clubbing type, but maybe there was some kind of old-fashioned place he went to so he could find a date?

Yeah! That must’ve been it!

…

That was not it.

Lupin found himself slumped up against the wall to the fifth gay bar he went to. And still, there was no sign of Jigen. Where was he? It wasn’t like his friend could just fall off the face of the earth. Maybe Goemon was having more luck than he was. He had the better eyes. The thief huffed with annoyance, opting to walk around a little bit longer before returning to the apartment.

He took the subway, or tube, whatever he was supposed to call it, down to St. James Park. He checked the hotel nearby, St. Ermin’s, some fancy, old, ex-spy hideout to see if his friend had stopped there for tea, or lunch, or happy hour. Jigen loved all that stupid spy, James Bond kind of stuff, maybe he would be there? But alas, once again, after describing his friend to any staff member he could find, Lupin was left with no leads once again. He grumpily snatched a sandwich off a tray and marched back outside.

This was impossible. Jigen didn’t like touristy things, so he wouldn’t be out exploring the city, he wasn’t at any bar, or pub that he could’ve walked to from there apartment. And if Jigen had taken the subway somewhere, it would take far too long to search every hotel or bar within the entire city.

Lupin groaned. Why did Jigen have to make this so difficult? Whenever Lupin went missing, at least he had the decency to make a big show out of it.

He checked his watch, and jeez, had he really been walking around for hours? He was lucky he grabbed a sandwich, he was for sure going to miss lunch at this rate.

Oh well. Jigen was in the city somewhere. It was nearing afternoon, and if neither he nor Goemon found the gunman by now, Lupin thought back to his original theory. Jigen probably got all gloomy because of yesterday and sulked off to spend the night at someone’s place. And the bartenders working last night just probably didn’t remember him. Lupin understood that. Life wasn’t like crime dramas and people working in food could hardly remember faces as well as they could remember drink orders.

Lupin took the subway back to the apartment. The thief lit another cigarette and walked up and down the street a few times, trying to see if he could find any evidence of his friend. Further down the sidewalk, something caught his eye. Lupin leaned down to look at up cigarettes cluttering the side of a red phone booth. They were Jigen’s brand, and by the sight of it, it looked like the man had smoked a whole box. Now, that was definitely concerning. Jigen only chain smoked when something was really upsetting him. Unfortunately, Lupin couldn’t tell if old the whittled down butts were recent or not.

“Lupin.” Goemon’s hushed voice snapped him out of his thoughts. Lupin turned around to see the samurai standing behind him, the expression of concern he had this morning had not gone away. “You did not find him?”

“No, I checked everywhere and no one’s seen him. I found his cigarettes though.” Lupin shrugged, kicking the orange filters with the toe of his shoe. “I’m guessing you didn’t have any luck?” Goemon shook his head in response. Lupin sighed, reaching up to scratch the back of his neck where the latex dug in uncomfortably. “Well, let’s head back upstairs. He could’ve come back while we were out. If not, we’ll look for Pops and see if he’s got Jigen held up somewhere.”

“I agree. Zenigata should be the next place we look.” Goemon nodded, opening the door for Lupin as they walked inside.

They took the elevator on the way up, since Lupin fussed about being too tired and refused to take the stairs. His feet and legs were already sore from all the running they did on the heist, and he was pretty sure he walked a good twenty or more miles looking for Jigen. If the gunman was back in the apartment, he was going to have some choice words for him.

Lupin unlocked the door to the apartment, pushing his way in and quickly shutting the door behind Goemon so he could pull the latex mask off his face. “Check your room, will ya?” He asked Goemon, taking a deep breath as he was finally able to breathe easy without the hotness of the mask. “He might be taking a nap.”

The samurai nodded, pulling Zantetsuken close to his chest. The expression of worry had not left his face. In fact, Lupin thought it was getting worse every second they didn’t see Jigen. Goemon turned, hastily toeing off his shoes before going down the hall towards the room he and Jigen shared.

The thief sighed, more like groaned, as he shrugged out of his coat, tossing it on one of the hooks near the door. “Jigen! Bud? You here?!” He called, peaking his head into the kitchen. But he was met with no sign of his friend. Lupin pouted. He really had no other place to check than whenever police station Zenigata had held himself up in this week. That was going to be much more of a hassle than he wanted it to be.

“LUPIN!”

He spun around immediately at Goemon’s call. Lupin took off in the direction of their room, his heart suddenly seized with the worry in Goemon’s voice. It wasn’t like the samurai to let his voice waver like that; something must’ve been wrong.

Lupin threw the door open, stumbling inside the room. Goemon was standing in front of the closet, head turning to Lupin as he entered. The gentleman thief glanced over to Jigen’s bed, which looked freshly made. The cigarette boxes on the nightstand were missing, so were the black socks that had been haphazardly tossed on the floor a few nights before. Lupin walked over to his friend, pulling the closet door open enough so that he could see in too.

It was empty.

Absolutely and completely empty.

No different colored dress shirts, no identical jackets or slacks, no loafers, no socks, no hats, no anything. Jigen’s side of the closet had been completely cleared out, pajamas and everything. What made Lupin’s stomach drop the most was the fact that Jigen’s suitcase was missing as well.

“Lupin,” Goemon turned to him, drawing the thief’s gaze to his worried gray eyes. “What has happened?”

Lupin didn’t have an answer at first, but he turned to the closet once more, trying to let his keen eyes pick up on any clues. Though, it was tough when there was nothing left to pick up on. How long had they been gone? How easy was it for Jigen to wait until they left to quickly rush back to the apartment and gather up all his things? The thief glanced back towards Jigen’s bed. There wasn’t even a note.

“He’s gone.” Lupin stated, turning to Goemon with a stone expression. “He didn’t go missing. Jigen left on purpose.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ah, Lupin. Your downplaying of every situation is going to be the death of you one day. 
> 
> I'm really glad y'all like this fic so far! I'm having a lot of fun writing it!


	4. New York, New York

Jigen knew his friends would be thorough in their search for him; they always were. Whenever he disappeared, Lupin and Goemon would make sure to check every bar within a mile of whichever safe house or hotel room they were staying in. So when Jigen saw Lupin and Goemon exit the apartment building and part ways, he knew that he had plenty of time to run in and grab his things.

He still rushed.

Jigen quickly ran up the stairs (note: not a great idea for someone who had chain smoked the rest of his cigarettes and stayed up the whole night). He fumbled with his key at the lock, finally pushing the door open and slamming it shut as fast as he could. The gunman ran to his and Goemon’s room, trying desperately not to look at the samurai’s side of the room as he grabbed cigarette boxes from his nightstand, as well as the gun clips from the drawers.

He threw the suitcase from his closet onto his bed, grabbing his clothes from the closet and carefully trying to fold them. They needed to fit, and he couldn’t do that if they were all in messy bunches. Thankfully, Jigen had made enough quick escapes with Lupin to know how to pack a suitcase quickly. After pressing in his socks, bathroom essentials, and last pair of spare hats, Jigen pressed his full body weight on the suitcase to get it to close.

Quickly, the gunman looked around the room.

What else was there? What else did he need? What could he afford to leave behind? How long was he going to be away?

Knowing Sal and the kind of man he was, Jigen didn’t know the answer.

He rushed to the living room, pulling out one of the boxes under the television set. He grabbed the Rolex watch Lupin had given him and clicked it over his wrist. Jigen wouldn’t be able to talk to either of his friends for God knows how long, he would need at least something to ground himself.

The gunman moved back to his room to grab his suitcase. He made his bed, haphazardly pushing the comforter into the corners and fixing the pillow to look somewhat nice. Jigen wondered briefly if he should leave a note for Lupin and Gomeon. As if this situation he was in could be summarized in just a few words. He could see it now.

_“Hey, guys! Sorry I had to ditch you! Crazy shit from my past came up and I have to go handle it! Might not come back!” - Jigen_

Yeah. He wasn’t going to leave a note.

He couldn’t let them follow him, and leaving behind any clues would be all too easy for Lupin to figure out. The man could find a polar bear in a snowstorm, and where he was going, Jigen didn’t want to be found.

He sighed, leaving his room behind and walking towards the front door. Jigen had his hand on the doorknob before he turned back to give the apartment one final sweep with keen eyes. It really was a nice safehouse. Sure, it had the occasional centipede or burst pipe, but those were all small problems. They were hardly problems at all when handled with Lupin and Goemon. Jigen took a deep breath, wondering if he would ever come back to this hideout. He was never one for wishful thinking. Jigen always knew to keep his hopes down, and his mind told him no, it was doubtful that he would ever see the hideout, or his friends for a long time.

If ever.

He squeezed his eyes shut, opening the door and stepping out. He needed to call a cab.

-

The airport was crowded enough for him to slip around unnoticed. And it was easy enough for him to get his ticket and luggage tag. Sal sure knew how to make things easy. First class too. How kind of him. Jigen dropped off his luggage before waiting for his flight. He was early, a bit too early, so he spent most of the day wondering around the airport waiting for the plane to pull in.

The flight itself was terrible. Not because of the seating or turbulence or anything. His seat was comfortable and there were hardly any bumps. Jigen knew he should get some sleep. The time difference between London and New York, his place of destination, was significant, and with the amount of sleep he got last night, which was none, he should rest up. But he found himself a nervous wreck as he sat in his seat. His leg jittered up and down and his fingers tapped against his crossed arms. He would’ve felt better if he could smoke, but even the multitude of nicotine patches he had bought from the airport and slapped onto his forearms were doing nothing to calm his nerves.

He must’ve dozed off eventually, for he was jolted awake by the plane tires making contact with the runway.

Jigen immediately found an outdoor smoking area and lit his cigarette. His bag could wait another five minutes before being picked up, it wasn’t going anywhere. The gunman took a deep breath, letting the warm smoke fill his lungs before he let it out slowly. He opened his eyes observing the calm morning of New York suburbia. He knew that further West, people in the city were probably honking at each other during their morning commute. Lupin hated doing jobs in the city, too many possibilities of getting caught in traffic. And well, Lupin didn’t handle other’s road rage very well.

He shook his head. He couldn’t think of his friends right now.

Jigen crushed what little was left of his cigarette into the outdoor ashtray, shoving his hands into his pockets before walking back inside the airport.

He found his suitcase rather easily, dragging the luggage behind him as he exited out of the sliding glass doors. He carefully observed people walking towards the car rental area, or back towards the parking lot. He watched as family members reunited, or as groups of friends screamed as they ran to hug each other. Jigen gave a soft hum, letting himself smile for just a moment. He wasn’t sure where he was supposed to go. He could go rent a car and drive himself, or he could just take a cab.

But he didn’t need to wait that long, for a sleek, black car pulled up in front of him. The driver didn’t get out of the car, but the man in the passenger seat did. He was average height and wore a very clean pressed black suit. Jigen let his free hand fall to his side, just in case he needed to grab his magnum.

“Mr. Jigen?” He asked, no malice or threatening tone in his voice.

“That’s me.” Jigen answered curtly.

“Please step inside.” The man opened the back door, gesturing inside to the leather seats. “We’ll be driving you.”

“You ain’t gonna bag me?” He asked accusatorially.

“No, no. We don’t want to be rude. Besides,” The lacky smiled. “The boss said you already know your way there. So there would be no point.”

Jigen huffed, leaving his bag behind for the man to place in the trunk as he slipped into the back seat of the car. He crossed his arms as the vehicle started, already feeling very trapped within the backseat. A pane of tinted class separated his area from the driver’s, so he couldn’t see them or hear what they were talking about, if they were talking at all.

He sighed, pressing his back up against the seat. What had he let himself get into again? He knew this was a bad idea, dangerous too, but there was something that drew him back home. Sal knew he would come. Maybe he wanted to. Nothing forced him there. He could’ve easily taken down any hired gun trained on him in London, but no, he just had to show up. 

The car drove for another half hour until it stopped in front of a large iron gate (spikes on the top included). The gate was connected to a tall brick wall surrounding a fairly large mansion on a hill. The car drove to the covered driveway before the door and stopped there. Jigen took a deep breath, as the passenger side door opened and closed, then his door opened.

“Mr. Jigen?” The average man said, gesturing towards the ornate wooden front door. “I take it you know your way around?”

“Cut the condescending bullcrap, will ya?” Jigen huffed, getting out of the car and shoving his hands into his pockets. “Yeah, I know the way. I also know you’re gonna follow me with a gun to my back, so let’s cut the pleasantries.” And with that, the gunman shoved his way through the front door into the magnificent house.

And it was a beautiful house. They definitely had done some redecorating since the last time he was here. The floors were dark hardwood, definitely polished recently with a beautiful long rug draped within the hallway. It wasn’t as old fashioned as he remembered, many old antiques had been replaced with their modern equivalents, but the lights still had that dim air around them. Jigen noted a few famous, probably paid for, probably not paid for, paintings as he made his way through the mansion. He pulled his hat down further over his eyes as he walked from memory. He didn’t care about any of this stuff, he just beelined his way towards two wooden doors.

He didn’t knock. Instead, he simply grabbed onto the handle and let himself in, much to the dismay of the man behind him.

The room was large, a sort of study room -slash- personal office. Bookshelves lined the walls, a small drink cart sat in one of the far corners, and in the back of the room sat a wooden desk. The desk was carved with patterns that made it look like vines were creeping up towards the sky, threatening to choke anything that got in their way, and in the chair behind the desk sat a man. The man looked up as Jigen entered the room, and suddenly gave a great big smile.

“Jigen!” He stood up; arms open wide as if offering the gunman a hug. The man was tall, built around the shoulders, sharp cheekbones framed his face, though not that much as Jigen’s, a broad chin, and he had short, dark brown hair with a cowlick the had been styled into slight curl. He walked around his desk; dark suit tailored just right for him. “I knew you would come.”

“Yeah, ya did.” Jigen’s hands did not leave his pockets, nor did his tense stance change. If he had been brought there to be killed, he was going to go down fighting. “What’s all this about, Sal?”

“That should be Salerno to you.” Said the lacky from behind him.

“Do I look like I give a rats ass what I should call him?” Jigen turned with a slight growl, tilting his head just enough to narrow his eyes at the other man, who quickly looked like he wanted to shrink away.

“Now, now. We’re friends!” Sal waved his hand nonchalantly. “No need to get all hostile on each other.” His New York accent wasn’t as thick as it used to be, probably from years of practice toning it down for ‘business’ deals and such.

“You gonna tell me what this is about?” Jigen asked, a bit less gruffly. If he was going to get anywhere, might as well stay on Sal’s good side.

“Yes, yes. Of course. But first, we need to catch up!” The man smiled, gesturing to the drink cart. “You can go wait outside.” He added to the man behind Jigen before turning on his heel and walking.

Jigen waited for the door to shut before letting his shoulders relax just slightly. He then followed Sal a bit further into the room, letting his keen eyes shift to the different parts of the room. A glass of very expensive whiskey was placed in his hands, and Sal, with his own glass of wine, leaned his back against his desk as he faced Jigen.

“So, you’ve been living quite the exciting life ever since leaving New York, haven’t you?” Sal asked, raising his eyebrow slyly.

Jigen paused for a moment, giving his drink a small sniff before letting himself take a sip. “Yeah, guess you could say that. By the looks of it, so have you.”

“Oh, come on now.” The man across from him laughed, making Jigen tilt his head, confused. “Did you _seriously_ just smell the drink? Good Lord, Jigen. I’m not going to _kill_ you.”

“Could’ve fooled me.” Jigen shrugged, trying to be casual about it. “You’ve always been jealous of my good looks.”

“Hey, now, I’d say I’m looking pretty good now-a-days. You look like you’ve been hit by a truck.” Sal chuckled. “Still dress to impress though.”

“And it looks like you’re dressing a bit more expensive these days.” Jigen pointed out, a bit surprised at how well the conversation was going. It felt like getting coffee with an old friend.

“I am. After Sarah and I got married, we’ve really made a lot of progress in the business.” The man explained, gesturing to his expensive suit. “We’ve had a lot of monetary gain, if you know what I’m saying.”

The name mentioned almost made the drink shoot right up Jigen’s nose. He cleared his throat in an attempt to cover it up. “Sarah, huh.”

“I know what you’re thinking. After she fancied you so much, I bet you’re surprised we got together.”

“No, no. I’m happy for you.” Jigen nodded. “I knew you were making eyes at her behind my back.”

“Oh, come on. I was nothing but loyal.” Sal sipped at his drink, looking up at Jigen with a hint of malice. “I’m not the one who ran away.”

Jigen paused, taking a deep breath before choosing his words. “What can I say? I was stolen.”

“Pity.” Sal sighed. He finished his drink, walking around to his desk before opening a drawer. Jigen stepped back for a moment, hand going behind him just in case his old friend decided to draw a gun on him. But nothing like that happened. Instead, Sal grabbed a binder and tossed it onto his desk. “So, about why you’re here.”

Jigen sighed. Finally. He knew all of this couldn’t just be for catching up’s sake.

“I’ve been catching your exploits whenever they come on tv.” Sal started, opening the binder to the first page. Jigen approached, leaning over to look at it. “And I must say, your abilities haven’t faltered. In fact, I’ve think they’ve gotten better!”

The gunman observed the page, looking to see several discrete photos taken of a well-dressed man. He looked up, raising a brow at Sal’s flattery.

“That’s why I need you.” The boss continued, pointing to the binder. “There are some people I need … taken care of, and you’re the best man for the job.”

Oh.

That’s what this was about.

“Sorry.” Jigen stated before letting the man continue. “But I don’t kill people anymore. Not if I don’t have to.”

“Now, now. You haven’t even heard who this is!” Sal pressed on. “I need to keep certain people in government, certain people in the police force, and so on. I just need you to trim a little fat and take out those who oppose them!”

Jigen narrowed his eyes at his old friend.

“I promise the pay is good!” 

“I don’t do assassinations.”

“Nonsense! You used to do so all the time overseas. America is no different. Assassinations get covered up all the time.”

“I’m not going to do your dirty work.” Jigen stated firmly, stomping one shoe against the carpet. “Find another guy.”

“But you’re the only one who can make hits like this and get away with it.” Sal insisted, walking back around the desk to stand in front of Jigen. “I’ve seen you do it before. You’re like a shadow! No one has ever caught you.”

“And I intend to keep it that way!” Jigen raised his voice, lifting his hands in exaggeration. “Sal, do you have any idea what could happen? You can’t guarantee I won’t get caught!”

“Yes, I can! And even if you do, I have enough money to make sure you never spend a day in jail!”

“Forget it!” Jigen snapped, pointing a finger to Sal’s chest. “I’m not going to be your damn dog!” With that, the man spun on his heel and headed for the door.

“You were very easy to find.” Sal’s voice rose again. “I can find Lupin too.”

Jigen stopped, hand on the doorknob. He did not turn around when he spoke. “What?”

“You care about that man, don’t you? You know what I’m capable of, how many men I have working for me.” His voice approached until it was right behind Jigen. “I found you. I had a gun on you. I can find Lupin just as easily.”

Jigen paused, his mind racing. He wondered if Sal had men watching Lupin now. Did he have someone in London there just in case he refused the offer? But he didn’t say any of that. Jigen had confidence in his friend, especially with Goemon there to protect him.

“Lupin isn’t as easy to kill as you think.” Jigen let himself smile, turning his head just enough to look at Sal with one eye.

The man’s expression did not drop. In fact, he started to smile as well. Jigen’s stomach turned with worry.

“But he’ll be easy to get a hold of.” Sal took a step closer until he was practically breathing against Jigen’s collar. “And so easy to talk to. I wonder if he and that samurai friend of yours would like to hear all about the things you and I used to do together.”

Jigen raised an eyebrow.

“I’m sure they would love to hear about the kind of jobs you used to take.” Sal pressed on, tilting his head to the side.

“What do you have to gain?” Jigen challenged. “What could you possibly have to gain with telling Lupin about my past?”

“Oh, I have nothing to gain.” Sal placed a firm hand on Jigen’s shoulder, squeezing it tightly to the point of being slightly painful. The man leaned in close to the gunman’s ear, letting his whisper turn soft. “But you have everything to lose.”

He let go, turning back and walking about halfway into the room, as if giving Jigen space to process his words.

And boy, did Jigen need space. The handle he was holding now served as the only thing keeping him upright. Sal, unfortunately, was right. If Lupin knew about the things he had done, if _Goemon_ knew, they would hate him. Jigen kept his past secret for a reason. He didn’t tell and they didn’t ask. But if Sal told them the things he did? The people he killed? There would be no facing them. He wouldn’t be able to look either of them in the eyes if they knew what he had done.

Jigen was silent for a very long time before he remembered how to breathe.

“Who the first guy on your list?” He asked, turning around.

“Wonderful! I knew you would come around!” Sal’s intimidating demeanor turned back to one of an old friend. He grabbed Jigen’s hand, giving it a few excited shakes before leading the gunman, now hitman, over to the desk. “It will be easy for you, I’m sure. I’ll pay you in cash so you don’t have to worry about a paper trail, and, here’s a part I’m sure you’ll like. You won’t even need to use your own gun.”

Another drawer was open, and Sal stood back up, holding an unloaded sharp looking modern gun in his hands. Jigen eyed it curiously. A sig sauer p229, huh?

“See? You won’t need to use your magnum. Your identity is safe as long as your shots are good.” Sal held out his hands, one in an open palm, the other with the gun handle facing Jigen.

“I don’t get to keep mine?” Jigen asked.

“Consider it a safety deposited. I know how much it means to you.” Sal shrugged. “I’ll keep it here, and you can have it back when you’re done.”

“How many people are there?”

“As many as it takes to keep my business afloat.”

Jigen looked out at the sig sauer. It would take him a while to get used to it, but Jigen also had several rifles and other guns he could use to help him on whatever jobs Sal wanted to send him on. He would be fine. He would be fine.

The gunman reached behind him, pulling the magnum from its place and turning it over in his hands. He would see it again. It would only be for a short while.

“Fine.” The gun was placed in Sal’s open hand, and Jigen took the sauer in his. He turned it over, examining the weight, size and handling. “You still got a place I can practice with this?” He asked, pointing the empty gun towards the drink cart to see how it felt.

“Of course.” Sal smiled, tucking the magnum into his suit jacket. “And we have a room for you set up. You bag was brought there.”

“You had a lot of confidence in me saying yes, huh?” Jigen asked with a huff.

“I know you too well Jigen. You never would’ve said no.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had a lot of fun with this chapter. Jigen's past is really a mystery most of the time, so it was fun to think up a new character for him to bounce off of!
> 
> Finals week is this week, so next chapter is either goin to be shorter or late, or both.


	5. Where Are You?

_“Alright. I’ll uh, I’ll see you guys later then.”_

_“Bye!”_

Lupin replayed the scene over and over in his head.

Jigen has said ‘see you later’. It wasn’t a goodbye. Jigen usually didn’t like saying goodbye, it was too finite for him, so they always said _see you later_. But as Lupin paced through the room that he shared with Goemon, he wondered what the gunman meant.

The thief mentally kicked himself. He should’ve noticed if something was wrong with Jigen. He went over the conversation again, searching his brain to see if he could remember if his friend sounded different, worried, scared, angry, anything that would make his sudden and very intended disappearance make sense. He wasn’t quite sure. Jigen was a guarded person. He had been ever since the two met. But lately he had been very keen on telling Lupin whenever he was upset with him.

It usually ended with the thief in a very tight headlock.

Now, Lupin liked to consider himself a rather smart person. Sometimes, it’s all the would boast about. Specifically, to Pops, or to any villain of the week who was stupid enough to listen to him stall for him. He would like to think he was smart enough to figure out why Jigen would just up and leave.

Unfortunately, Jigen was smart enough not to leave him any clues.

That was one of the many downsides to letting a person get close to you. They start learning all of your tricks.

Jigen has learned a lot of his. Not all. But enough to know what not to leave behind when he left.

So Lupin paced, cigarette clamped tightly in his teeth and hands shoved within his pockets, balled into fists. Where had Jigen gone off to? It wasn’t like the gunman to just suddenly disappear.

Goemon had suggested they still check where Pops was stationed, just in case Jigen was there. Lupin thought it was a little unlikely, since their friend’s things were missing too, but he let the samurai go under the condition that he be careful not to be spotted. They needed to find Jigen, Lupin couldn’t do that if he had to spring Goemon from a holding cell.

But the samurai returned an hour or two after, head held low.

“No luck?” Lupin asked, chewing through what felt like his eight cigarette this morning.

“No.” Goemon stated sharply. “I believe you are correct. Jigen’s absence is deliberate. Where could he have gone?”

“Well, I tore through a bit more of the apartment.” Lupin said, walking over to the living room. “He took one of his old watches, but not much else. His passport is missing and all of his stuff must’ve been packed into his suitcase, since that’s gone too.”

“Do you think he left the country?” Goemon asked.

Lupin sighed, reaching up to run a hand through his cropped hair. “That’s honestly my best guess.”

“Plane or train?”

“We might as well check both places.” The thief admitted. “We’ll go to the station first, see if we can spot him on any security cameras to see where he went off to. Then we’ll do the same at the airport.” He nodded to himself, walking over to the coat closet by the door. “But you’ll need a disguise. You stand out too much.”

“I understand.” The samurai said with a bit of reluctance. Lupin knew that Goemon wasn’t very big on disguises, at least for himself. The samurai never failed to show his disapproval in what he was given to wear.

But thankfully, his friend gave no gripe with the clothes he was handed. Lupin gave him a shirt, jeans, a fashionable coat paired with a scarf, and a pair of his loafers. Goemon looked rather handsome, and he packed Zantetsuken into an instrument case to keep it on hand.

“Lupin.” Goemon started as they headed towards the train station, which was only a short walk from their apartment building. “What will we do if we find Jigen?”

Lupin paused, but only for a moment. “ _When_ we find Jigen,” he corrected. He didn’t want any ‘ifs’ floating about. That would be bad luck. “I’m gonna put him in a headlock and forced him to tell us what’s wrong. See how he likes it.” The disguised thief punched his hand into his palm, swishing them together. “Then, I’m gonna make him do all the chores in the house for the rest of the month.”

Goemon simply hummed in response.

“I mean,” Lupin leaned over, trying to catch his friend’s gaze. “You can wreck whatever samurai punishment you see fit. I’m sure what he’s doing is for a good reason.”

“I hope so.” Goemon answers. “I just hope he hasn’t left us voluntarily.”

“Trust me.” Lupin sighed, pushing the doors to the station open. “Jigen would’ve let us known if he was leaving like that.”

The two stayed close together, dodging around ICPO officers that had been placed about. Looked like Zenigata thought they planned on fleeing the country, if they hadn’t already. Lupin would have to remember that if they needed to make a quick mistake. But with their disguises, Goemon and Lupin maneuvered easily through the building.

Getting into the security room was going to be difficult, especially without a ready made plan. Lupin opted with hoping into the vents through the men’s restroom. He climbed inside, carefully followed by Goemon, and together they crawled slowly towards the security room.

Lupin finally reached a grate to look inside, and he peered down into a room with a man sitting in a chair with several screen in front of him. The thief reached into his jacket, signaling for Goemon to hold his breath before pulling the top off of a small capsule. He dropped the device into the room, putting his hands over his own face afterwards. There was a gasp, a few coughs, and then a thud as the security guard tripped over his chair and onto the floor; unconscious from the sleeping gas.

Lupin lowered himself into the room with his watch’s grappling hook, hoping that the security guard hadn’t hurt his head on the way down. Goemon hopped down after him, making his way to the door to lock it and keep an eye out for anyone who may approach. The thief got started as quickly as he could on the computer, going back to scrub through the footage of the previous day. He checked every camera, every angle, every bit of footage that he could, but he couldn’t spot his friend. Hell, he couldn’t even spot his friend in disguise.

But Lupin looked at the footage again. He checked a second time, a third, even a fourth time, but still, no sign of Jigen.

“Anything?” Goemon asked after an unusual amount of silence from the thief.

“No.” Lupin was blunt in his answer, unable to hide his disappointment. “If Jigen left the country, it wasn’t by train. Come on, let’s try the airport.”

“What about him?” He gestured to the man on the floor, who was now groaning and struggling to wake back up.

“Let’s tie him to the chair. It’ll buy us some time to get out.”

Quickly, the two tied the poor man to his office chair, slapping a piece of tape over his mouth to keep him quiet. The security guard should be thankful, most victims who received this treatment from Lupin usually lost their clothes as well. But since the thief already had a disguise, there was no need.

The two left the way they came, slipping back out the front doors of the station. Lupin hailed a cab and paid the driver to take them to the nearest airport. If Lupin knew Jigen, which he hoped he did, it was that his friend was about convenience. He wouldn’t go too out of his way to run, and would most likely fly out of the closest airport.

Once they got to the building, they repeated the routine; they snuck around ICPO officers until they reached the bathroom, waiting for it to be empty enough to sneak into the vents. After crawling around for a while, Lupin finally located the security room. There were two guards this time, but with Goemon’s help, it took almost no effort to knock them both out and tie them together.

Lupin crowded around the computer screens, eyes scanning viscously in search of his friend while Goemon stayed watch at the door.

“Come on, come on. Where are you?” He muttered, switching from screen to screen. For a moment or two, he’d thought he saw the top of his friend’s hat, but would lose it around a corner. Lupin shouldn’t have taught Jigen how to avoid security so easily. It made him almost invisible to Lupin, he couldn’t even tell where the other was going.

“Lupin –“ Came Goemon’s voice from the door, hushed and quiet.

“Not now, Goemon.” Lupin hissed back. “I think I can see him. I swear, I just saw his heel around a corner.”

“But Lupin, I think we –“

“Just another minute, Goemon!”

“LUPIN!” A third voice joined them, and Lupin’s heart dropped like a stone. There was a rustle, and then suddenly the door to the security room was kicked down. Goemon leapt back as Inspector Zenigata stood in the door, arms lifted to his hips in a proud stance as his predatory grin shown through.

“I’ve got you now, Lupin!” The inspector cheered, lifting his lasso handcuffs over his head before throwing them at the thief. The people at the train station must've notified Zenigata about the security guard!

“Goemon!” Lupin yelped as he jumped onto the desk, narrowly missing getting cuffed around the ankle. “I told you to keep watch!”

“I tried to warn you.” The samurai objected.

“A plain ‘Zenigata is coming’ would’ve worked better!” Lupin growled, running under the vent and crouching down. “Split! I’ll meet you back home!”

“Oh no ya don’t!” Zenigata rushed forward, but he was unable to grab Goemon as the samurai jumped into the vent. “What do you even want with this airport anyway? Why are you in the security room?”

“Sorry, Pops, but I don’t have time for you right now!” Lupin sprang up, pushing his hands over Zenigata’s back as if in a game of leap frog. He pushed the inspector onto the floor, scrambling up to run out of the door.

“LUPIN! STOP THAT MAN!” The inspector’s voice boomed after him. As soon as Lupin rounded the corner, two dozen or so ICPO officers blocked his path. “You’ve got nowhere to run, Lupin!” He could practically hear the smile on Zenigata’s face before he even turned around to look at him. “Stay there!”

“I told you, Pops.” Lupin huffed through his nose. “I don’t have time for this right now. I’ve got other problems to deal with!” The last thing he needed was to waste his time in an overnight cell with Zenigata gloating the whole time. Not when he needed to find Jigen. Boy, when he got his hands on his friend, he was really going to give him an earful.

“That’s too bad! Now, hold still!” Zenigata lunged at Lupin, so did the other officers, but as always, the thief was two quick for them. He leapt straight up in the air like a ballerina, making the heroes of the ICPO crash into each other with grunts and yelps of pain. Loafers landed on the tiled floor of the airport and took off in a flash, weaving around startled people and tourists.

Lupin yanked off his latex mask, knowing that it would have no good now that Zenigata had seen through it. He slid down escalator railing and dodged around luggage before finally bursting through the doors of the airport. The thief ducked around a few corners before finding a manhole without anyone around. He pried the heavy metal up before leaping inside. There was a period where he could hear heavy footfalls above him, accompanied by Zenigata’s booming voice, but they all eventually faded away. Lupin began to move along the sewers as soon as he felt it was safe.

It was a long walk back to the apartment building, and Lupin was smelly and grumpy from it. He slipped the mask back on in order to enter the stairwell, but practically threw it off as soon as he entered the apartment.

“Good, you were not captured.” Goemon appeared almost out of nowhere, nearly giving Lupin a heart attack.

“No.”

“And no Jigen?”

“No Jigen. But I’m sure I saw him on that security footage.” Lupin began throwing off the sewer stained clothes, hoping to get into the shower as soon as possible. “He might’ve taken a flight somewhere.”

“How do you suggest we find him?” The samurai asked, picking up the discarded clothes and putting them in the hamper.

Lupin paused for a moment, thinking about what exactly Jigen had been mad about before he skipped down. He took a deep breath, looking over and Goemon.

“How do you feel about calling Fujiko?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh my goodness!! I am super sorry about taking so long to update this. A lot happened during november into december that I wasn't feeling writing. But I'm glad I took a break because I wouldn't want to give this anything less than a good effort! Thanks for your lovely comments as always!


	6. The Reaper Returns

Jigen’s first job from Sal doesn’t come in for a while. His new boss is very casual about the whole thing. The opportunity would present itself, and Jigen was currently on a need-to-know basis. That was fine, he was used to not knowing a plan until right before, or even when it was happening. Lupin did that a lot.

Lupin.

Jigen shook his head to get rid of any thoughts of his friends.

While he wanted for Sal’s instructions, Jigen did a lot of exploring for himself. Call it a trip down memory lane, if you would. He explored the mansion, seeing what was new and what was old. The backyard was about the same with just enough space for some new, poor kid to learn how to shoot a gun that rattled his hands too much. After wondering for a moment, Jigen went outside, running his hands along a nearby tree and smiling as he found that a bullet hole he had made when he was ... gosh, he couldn’t have been more than sixteen, had been covered up by bark. It made a lump in the tree trunk, looking as if it were a raised scar.

Nature will do that. Heal over with a new form and then just continue as if nothing was wrong.

Jigen had his own room in the mansion. Most bodyguards or goons slept in a house off to the side, but he supposed Sal thought he was too special, too reliable. The room wasn’t large, nothing magnificent, but it was certainly nicer than any safe house he and his friends had stayed at in a while. At least in physical terms. It was quiet. Jigen never realized how much he missed the idle sounds of his friends; Goemon polishing his sword or Lupin humming or singing to himself because he just couldn’t keep quiet. 

He shook his head and decided to go for a walk.

A long walk.

The sig sauer p229 in the waistband of his pants feels too heavy. Too unnatural. He shot it just fine, his aim was still the best in the world and he blew through every target Sal had given him to shoot at. But it just felt wrong. It was awkward in his hands. It had no personality to it. It didn’t feel like him.

But, he supposes, that was the point. Sal wanted him to know that he was no longer the man who worked with Lupin. No longer a partner. He was an employee. A gun. Not a person. He wasn’t a happy-go-lucky thief anymore who joked about being a cowboy and carried around a revolver. He was a hired killer again.

Jigen walked to the train station and bought himself a ticket with the money he had taken from the hideout before he left. He felt bad for stealing from Lupin, but it was his cut from the Crowned Jewels heist, so it couldn’t have mattered too much to the thief. He could feel he stares on him from the other passengers, but all eyes avoided him after a while. He would expect nothing less. He looked and had the mannerisms like an old time-y mobster. Damn it. He was working for the Mafia again. The thing he swore never to do again. The gunman sighed, standing up when his stop was called.

The Bronx was ... exactly the way he left it. 

Same busted lamp lights, same cracked street, same faded sidewalks. The trees had gotten taller, and he imagined what it would be like to sit under their shade during the summer. But he walked along, watching as nervous mothers took their children by the hands to cross to the other side of the street. Without Lupin smiling and goofing off beside him, Jigen was quite the terrifying figure. The man walked a bit further, stopping at a house away from the others that overlooked the Hudson. 

His sister had inherited the house after their mother passed away. She lived in the city on workdays and came home on the weekends, He tried to convince her to sell the old shack, but she just couldn’t part with it. A part of him was glad she hadn’t gotten rid of it. It held too many memories. One day, hopefully, if she ever had kids, his sister’s children would play in that house, build snowmen in the front yard, go on treasure hunts by the river, and set up holiday lights in the windows.

Briefly, Jigen wondered if he should call her. Just to let her know he was in town. But no. He couldn’t do that. She had been overjoyed when she found out he’d gotten a new profession; it would break her heart to know he was back. 

Jigen took the train to the city next. 

New York City was always changing. He liked that. New billboards, new Broadway shows, new bands at jazz clubs, new businesses, new food stands, new, new, new. Jigen smiled around the cigarette in his lips. Though he was far from his family, Jigen was home. _This_ was his home, he tried to convince himself. And hell, the nostalgia was helping. If Jigen had to spend the rest of life in this state, in this city, he could die a happy man. 

Around lunchtime, he bought a cheap hot dog with far too many onions as the topping. He thanked the man at the cart, even gave him a hefty tip, and found himself a bench to sit down on. He sat and people watched with a content smile on his face, happy to once again be in a spot filled with so much sound. He’d gotten halfway through his hotdog before he heard a shuffle behind him.

Jigen was an alert person, turning back cautiously, he saw that it was nothing he needed to be afraid of. In an alley stuck between two buildings, a thin, black cat was scuffling around, digging though old food wrappers and containers near a trash bin. Jigen stood up, carefully walking over as to not scare the thing. He squatted down, making the cat scuttle away behind the trash can.

“Hey, hey wait.” Jigen whispered softly, tearing off a piece of his hotdog. “You hungry?” He paused, and the cat peeked its head out as if it understood him. Jigen made a small beckoning noise, pursing his lips together before tossing a piece outward. The cat cautiously approached, sniffed, and immediately dug into the bit.

The gunman giggled hoarsely, tearing off another piece and tossing it a little closer to himself. The cat ate that too, then approached Jigen, bumping its head against his hand.

“Hungry, aren’t ya?” Jigen asked, letting his hand travel down the cats back before tearing off another piece. “You all alone, pal?” He asked, to no answer other than a chirp as the cat ate. “Yeah, well. Me too.” He guesses he must’ve looked pretty awkward, sitting in an alley next to a cat, but Jigen didn’t care. 

“It’s nice to meet a friendly face.” He admitted with a shrug, sitting down with his legs crossed. The cat rubbed against his pant legs, and Jigen realized he would probably need to lint roll them later. He didn’t mind too much. He split the rest of his hotdog with the cat, letting it rub up against him and petting it when it didn’t seem too bothered. Part of him didn’t want to leave the animal, but it was far from a starving creature. It was lean, but not boney or unhealthy. Besides, it’s not like he could keep a cat. Jigen stood up, giving the feline another gentle scratch behind the ears before throwing away his napkins.

He took a glance back, seeing a pair of eyes blink slowly at him from the alley before they dashed away.

—

The first job was a politician. 

Sal called him into his office and handed him a file before giving him a quick briefing about what was going on. Jigen only half listened. He never liked to know why his employers wanted targets killed. It didn’t matter to him what personal beef they had. He just needed a name and a place.

The politicians name was forgettable at best, though Jigen hadn’t invested in any kind of American politics since he was nineteen. Joseph Lee, some Republican if Jigen remembered which colors went to which party correctly. He’d be attending a fundraiser party at a penthouse in the city. The man was a notorious smoker, something Jigen could respect, and would need to take a break or three during the party to get his fix. Placing him right on the outside balcony. 

If Jigen shot him at the right moment, he’d have enough time before anyone realized their precious politician was taking too long.

“So ... think you can do it?” Sal asked with a smirk Jigen wanted to slap right off of his face.

“You need to ask?” The gunman replied with a sneer.

Sal said nothing. He only smiled.

Jigen sighed roughly. “Of course, I can.” He practically growled, marching off to the weapons room. He picked out a sniper rifle, one that would get the job done quietly with the help of the city’s natural noise. He held it up to his eyes, looking down the scope and holding the base to his shoulder to make sure it felt right.

It felt fine. 

The circumstances were strange.

Normally he’d be shooting down planes, falling boulders, or car tires, all in the heat of the moment. This felt so calculated, so malicious. So different than what his new normal had come to be.

The gun was taken apart and packed in a case. Jigen took it and stepped into the same car he was brought in on with the same goons as drivers. They drove into the city and dropped Jigen off at a nearby building. With an ID Sal had provided, he was let into the building and gained access to the service elevator, which brought him all the way to the roof. 

It was windy. He’d need to factor in the wind.

Jigen reached the edge, the wind whipped through his beard, hat, and jacket. He overlooked the city, entirely illuminated with lights from every angle. In the building across the street, he could see the pent house. People mingled, some danced, the buffet was enormous, a drink bar was being managed and overflowed. From what he could tell, people were bidding on baskets and things like that. Outrageous prices no less, but what could generous people do with money except spend it?

Jigen assembled his gun carefully and precisely. He couldn’t risk it jamming. He had to prove to Sal that he was still built for this. He was useful. He had a purpose. He wasn’t worthless. He was still the killer he was in his youth, given of course, the soft spaces that had formed. 

Joseph Lee stepped out onto the balcony for a smoke while Jigen was assembling the rifle.

But the gunman didn’t curse or quicken his pace. He remained calm. The politician went back in after ten minutes, smoking his cigarette down to the filter. Jigen smiled at the information, now aware of just how much time he had to back up the gun, get down the stairs, and back into the car before anyone suspected something was wrong.

The gunman got to his belly, propping the end of the gun against his shoulders while it the front rested on its stand. He looked down the scope, making sure all was arranged perfectly for his shot. He considered the wind, the distance, gravity, and position.

He waited. 

And he waited

Still as death, for that was whose role he had taken tonight, he waited until Joseph Lee returned to the balcony. The man had a forgettable face, but one that would be etched into Jigen’s brain for days or months to come. The man lit his cigarette, taking in a deep breath before letting it out slowly with a content look on his face.

Jigen let him have that last comfort.

Taking a deep breath himself, Jigen aimed. He waited for a moment, then squeezed his index finger around the trigger. 

The shot went right through Joseph Lee’s forehead and into the concrete behind him. The man reeled back, but not from his own momentum. He was dead before he hit the ground.

Jigen was frozen.

He laid there for a moment. Him on his belly and Joseph Lee on his back. He watched as a steady puddle of red leaked out from the hole in the man’s skull. There was no movement. The city honked, and beeped, and talked. The world turned. Joseph Lee was dead and Jigen was the only one who knew it. Everyone would continue to go about their lives for the next ten minutes, blissfully unaware.

Unlike him.

Jigen picked himself up. He disassembled and packed the gun away, traveled down the elevator, walked out the building, and got back in the black car a few blocks down the road.

“Did ya do it?” The driver asked, looking through his rearview mirror. It wasn’t said accusingly, but curiously.

Jigen only nodded.

They passed several speeding police cars and ambulances on their way back to the mansion, but Jigen knew they were in vain. The man was dead, and there was no helping it.

He returned to praise from Sal, who handed him a large wad of bills for his efforts. He tried to offer the gunman a drink, but Jigen simply shrugged and said he was too tired. He returned the gun to the weapon room for cleaning before heading back to his own.

Weapon room.

His bedroom was a room for a weapon. For him. 

Jigen stared down at the money before placing it on the bedside table. He crawled into bed, only bothering to kick off his shoes and shrug of out of his jacket and tie. His hat was placed on the bedside table over the money. He was exhausted, but sleep would not come to him so easily.

It had been so easy to kill Joseph Lee. Almost effortless. There had been a part of Jigen that hoped, prayed even, that he couldn’t do it. That it would be too hard and he’d have to chicken out. Run away. Find some way to keep his past from Lupin until he could figure things out. But no. It’d been easy. The man fell like a bag of bricks, no chance to even process what was happening. One minute he was there, the next ... just gone.

Jigen sighed, burying his face into his pillow. 

Killing was easy. He’d mastered it.

The aftermath never got easier.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> School is kicking my BUUUUUUTTTT!!!!! thank you all for being patient! You comments really help give me motivation to keep this fic running! Jigen is getting himself dragged further down the rabbit hole, awful shame really.


End file.
